Second Chance (1-Shot)
by RecursiveDestroyer
Summary: Meara visits Mokuba in the hospital, but she has some bad news. Kaiba overhears their conversation before making his presence known. What's Meara's bad news? Is Kaiba really the uncaring man he seems to be? (Revised 10/19/2016)


The luminescent hopital lights casted everything in a dull pale glow that made the healthy look sickly and the sickly look as if they should be deceased. Meara was in an area that she wasn't supposed to be in, but she walked down the long hallway in confidence anyway. Seeing as no one bothered her, she guessed that her charade worked. Yet again, it wouldn't of really mattered if the security managed to throw her out seeing as she could climb through the air ducts to find the room she was looking for. You'd think her skintight, buckled leather clothing would set off some kind of alarm in the passing nurse's heads. Luckily for her they were all preoccupied with patients and no trouble found her on her way towards the last room on the left.

The lights were dimmed per the resident patient's request, but the curtains were drawn back on the window. The stars twinkled happily from above, and the crescent moon glittered behind a few stray clouds that lingered in the dark sky. Meara smiled softly as she pushed open the door just enough to slip into the room. The patient had always loved the sky, and she was glad he could see them whenever he was awake.

A pale skinned boy was lying still in an oversized hospital bed. The bland white sheets were tucked in around him neatly to show that the nurse who was caring for him had just visited and wouldn't be back for a while. His long black hair clung to his sweaty face and neck and only made him look more sick than he actually was. Meara approached the bed quietly and placed a hand against the boy's forehead. He was still running a fever from a couple nights ago, and she wondered just how great the doctors were at their jobs. A small moan brought her from her thoughts against the doctors, and blue eyes met with weary brown.

"Hello, Mokuba," Meara whispered sweetly, just loud enough for him to hear over the beeping of the nearby machines.

"Mimi," he replied back just as softly, using her nickname he'd given her awhile back. He was still too weak to have full conversations, for the fever had taken most of his strength. "I'm glad you came." He grinned weakly, and his eyes glazed over in happiness.

"I couldn't leave my bestest buddy all alone in this dreary hospital," Meara replied with a light tone and ruffled his dark hair playfully. The strands were greasy, but she honestly couldn't care. Mokuba was alive, and that's all she could ever ask for.

"Seto's going to be coming by soon too," he said with a tired smile. Based on how empty the first IV bag looked, the second was about to start dripping, and Mokuba would be out like a light. The painkillers that were mixed into the solution made him very drowsy. "I can't wait to see him today."

"He can't wait to see you," she said and stroked his head again. His brown eyes fluttered closed at the feeling. He had always enjoyed having his hair petted, and Meara was glad that she could offer him such a small comfort in an otherwise bad situation. "I'll be gone before he gets here though. You know how much we don't get along. I'm not even supposed to be back here."

"I don't-" he was interrupted by the cutest yawn, "care." His eyes met hers again, but they were filled with worry this time. "Promise me you won't leave?" he asked and weakly reached out for her with his hand. The second IV had started to drip, and Mokuba would be asleep any second now. His eyes drooped, and his hand began to fall. Meara caught it before it could hit the mattress. His light snores sounded throughout the room as sleep enveloped him in a wistful blanket, and she smiled sadly at him.

"I'm sorry, Mokie, but I can't promise that," she whispered before giving his knuckles a gentle kiss. His grip on her hand tightened, so she didn't bother trying to pull away. She would've sat in the chair that was placed strategically besides the bed, but she was content enough to simply stand watch over him. With her free hand, she moved a stray strand of hair back behind his ear. She remembered the first time she had met the kid and couldn't believe how attached she had become to him. She couldnt believe that they had met so many months ago.

 _Meara sat atop the crates that were stacked in the warehouse as if they were her throne. She had a cigarette hanging from her lips as she watched the men below her joke and wrestle playfully. They had just gotten back from a successful heist and everyone was relaxing and enjoying their victory. Beer bottles littered the floor and she had to constantly remind them to keep their cigars away from the wooden crates; the last thing she needed was for them to burn their newly gathered cargo._

 _Midnight was fast approaching when one of the men who was supposed to be patrolling their recently put up boarder came running into the warehouse. "Miss Meara!" he shouted over the noise of the drunken men and came to a halt at the foot of the mountain of crates._

" _What is it, Henry?" Meara asked with ease. She sat relaxed on the crates and knew that the young boy was probably just going to blow something he supposedly saw out of proportion. "Another creature from the shadow realm?" A couple of men below that were listening in on their conversation laughed heartily at the joke._

" _No, Miss Meara," Henry continued unabashed. "There's a group of men hauling a young lad onto a docked ship. I heard them spouting about him being 'some rich boy's brother' and that 'they'd get a good price for him overseas'."_

" _Did you now?" One of the elder members of the gang spoke up. "Looks like those shadow creatures are making bank tonight, eh boys?! HAHAHA~!"_

 _Henry turned on him quick as lightning. "It's true!" Henry insisted pitifully. "The boy kept shouting for help but you damned wankers couldn't hear over your own celebrations!"_

" _A mere boy's problem isn't our concern, Henry. Have a glass of whiskey and get back on watch," Meara said dismissively._

 _Henry turned back to her with pleading eyes. "Please! I know what I saw! The boy needs help!"_

 _Meara leaned forward to stare Henry right in the eyes. Usually Henry would call his own bluff but something was off this time. Maybe he actually did see a boy being kidnapped? If this was indeed true, Meara felt the urge to act well up inside her chest. "Did the boy yell anything else other than the cries for help?" By this time the warehouse was nearly quiet. Meara's voice had lost its unconcerned tone and the change gathered everyone's attention._

 _Henry nodded. "He was spouting off about how they'd get a punishment worse than death by his older brother's own hands. I think he called him Seto or something."_

" _Seto?" Meara questioned quickly upon hearing the new information. She recognised the name from a newspaper she had read a couple weeks back. "As in Seto Kaiba? CEO of the greatest gaming corporation in Japan if not the world?" Henry simply shrugged. Her blue eyes narrowed and she stood up swiftly. She knew she could get a lot of money from this if not some kind of influence if they could rescue and return the kid to his brother. "Men, gather your gear! We're finding this boy tonight!" A resounding cheer rose up from below as she made her way down the crates. The men quickly scrambled to do what they were told, eager to gain even more loot. "Get me my sword and gun!"_

 _A couple minutes later, Meara and her gang were quietly sneaking towards the boat Henry had led them to. It seemed to be an old fishing boat but the new silk sails and polished planks gave away the true motive. Those onboard worked for someone rich. She gave out some hand gestures to signal the attack and as one unit, the men moved forward with practiced precision._

 _Meara stood by as her men leaped aboard the ship from both sides. Their battle cries mixed in with the gunshots, the clanging of swords, and the surprised shouts of the criminals. In a couple of minutes, all of the ship's men laid injured if not dead and the kidnapped child was brought to Meara's feet. His small frame slumped pathetically to the ground as if he had lost his will to fight._

" _Feel free to loot the ship and return to the warehouse. I'll deal with the kid," she told the two men who had presented the kid to her. They nodded enthusiastically before running off to tell their buddies her orders. Once they were out of sight, she crouched down in front of the kid. His black hair was knotted and his skin had small bruises and cuts. His clothes weren't in bad shape save for the scattered rough patch of dirt or torn threads. "Looks like you got lucky, kid," she spoke softly._

 _When he didn't reply, her eyes narrowed in confusion. Her men normally never damaged anything that she wanted simply out of respect. She grasped his chin gently and tilted his head upwards so she could look at his face. His eyes were closed and it seemed as if his previous captors had put him asleep with something. Whether or not it was with a punch, she didn't know. She sighed._

" _Well, kid, looks like I'll have to carry ya back home," she said with a sigh. This wasn't what she had in mind for the night of_ two _successful raids._ Shit happens I suppose, _she thought_ _with an unconvincing shrug. Meara carefully picked him up and carried him as if she were trying to burp a baby. With one last glance at the ship her men were currently looting, she turned and began the long trip towards the suburban area of the city. She knew the CEO would only have the finest house, and that was the only place where it would be._

* * *

 _Meara crouched in the shadows of the trees that surrounded the property. A large, illuminated white bricked mansion sat in the center of it and a tall black iron fence acted as a barrier from the outside world. Security guards walked the perimeter constantly. She was naive to think that she would've been able to sneak into a rich man's home and place the kid back into his bed safely._ I should've known better, _she thought. She contemplated just leaving the kid by_ _the tree till he woke up, for it would be easy for him to get home that way. The idea didn't sit right with her, so she tossed the thought aside._

Well, I can't just walk up to the gate either. No doubt they'll think I'd be the one who kidnapped him in the first place. _She huffed as all her options seemed to be either impossible or stupid. It had been a few hours since she had left the docks and she was growing impatient. After another couple of minutes of thinking about a plan, she decided that she could always outrun the guards._ Guess I will be dropping you off at the gate then. How fantastic...

 _Just when she was about to move forward, the boy stirred in her arms. Startled, she looked down at him to find his dark brown eyes staring up at her in question. He obviously didn't recognise her to be one of his former captors and confusion clouded his mind before alarm set in. Meara recognised the emotion instantly and clamped a hand over his mouth._

" _Stay quiet, kid," she whispered softly. She tried her best to keep any negative emotions from her tone but it was difficult. When he began to squirm, she pressed him against the nearest tree truck. "Quiet!" she barked as quietly as she could manage. "I've brought you home damnit! At least have the decency to let me get a head start on the guards before you go yelling and screaming!" At the words, he seemed to calm but there was a disbelieving gleam in his eyes. "Now, I'm going to turn you around so you can see that I'm not lying and then I'm going to let you go free."_

 _The kid's muscles were stiff when she pulled him away from the tree so he could see his house beyond the gates. She then released him and quickly retreated into the nearby shadows. She was waiting for him to run forward before she took off herself but the boy didn't move. She returned to his side silently._

" _Go," she whispered into his ear which caused him to jump. He must had expected her to be gone already. She waited another beat but he still didn't move. Meara was about to snap at him to not ignore the chance of escape when he spoke._

" _Thank you," he said softly. His voice was a little scratchy from all his shouting earlier before his abrupt rescue._

 _To say Meara was shocked would be an understatement. "Never mind that, kid," she replied hastily once she had recovered._

" _My name's not kid, it's Mokuba."_

 _Meara was shocked to silence yet again. This kid, Mokuba, was talking to her as if she couldn't decided to simply snap his neck within the next couple of seconds and be done with him. As far as he knew, she was still an enemy. "Just go kid!" A passing guard saw their shadows and was calling over some others to come check it out. "I don't have time to talk." Meara stepped back from him to disappear but she heard his final sentence to her in the darkness._

" _But will I see you again?"_

She smiled fondly at the memory of how they met. Little to Mokuba's knowledge, she had begun to keep tabs on him after that night and stopped him from being kidnapped many times and coming to his aid even more. It was no lie that she was fascinated by him and his older brother. She learned much about both whenever she talked to Mokuba. Over time, the two got closer and eventually even Seto had to willing let them see each other and hang out. He never did like seeing his little brother sad and the cute brown eyes seemed to be the only thing that could outrightly change Seto's stubborn mind. However, her seeing them didn't sit very well with the men in her gang.

"I wish I could stay by your side forever, Mokie. I'd even deal with Seto's bad attitude for eternity," she mumbled quietly and with a sad smile. "But I've got to run far away 'cuz I've done something very bad that the government didn't like," she continued even though she knew Seto was standing right outside the door.

His icy blue eyes watched the two converse, and his ears picked up their words clearly despite their trying to be quiet. His eyes narrowed as they landed upon the blonde girl who was standing calmly beside his little brother's bed, yet he couldn't bring himself to interrupt their little moment. He knew how much Mokuba valued Meara despite his own misgivings about it. An eyebrow twitched as he heard Mokuba ask for Meara to stay, and his scowl deepened when she said she couldn't. He already knew what she had done and expected such a remark. He watched for a couple moments longer, and his glare softened as he observed Meara. She was all but gentle to the sickly boy and that was hardly his first opinion of the strong-willed gang leader. She really did care for him and Seto couldn't figure out why. He was almost certain that Meara didn't know either.

Seto finally pushed open the door after another minute, and the harsh light of the hallway flooded into the room. He quickly minded it and closed the door. Only the stars and a dimmed lamp offered any light. He felt Meara's gaze on his back, and he turned to meet it head on. She nodded her head politely, familiar with his hard glare. "Good Evening, Seto," she greeted softly as not to wake Mokuba. Mokuba had granted her the rare offer to call his brother by his first name and she couldn't say no to him and his pleading eyes. Seto had been dealing with the irritance ever since. "He just fell asleep as I'm sure you know."

"You knew I was standing out there," he stated simply yet not as harshly as he usually would have. Meara knew it wasn't a question, but she nodded in return anyway. His footfalls had been loud when he had been coming down the hallway. It was hard not to notice them in the otherwise quiet atmosphere.

He approached the bed and walked around to stand on the other side of the metal frame. His eyes dropped down to Mokuba's skinny and frail body. He gritted his teeth angrily. "Has his fever broken at all?" he asked in uncharacteristic softness. Meara noticed that the hard edge was gone from his cerulean blue eyes. Whether it was sadness or anger that clouded those beautiful orbs, she didn't know. Maybe it was a little of both.

"No," she replied regretfully. She grimaced as she told him, but he deserved to know out of anyone. "It's the same as the last time I came to visit." Seto was quiet as he stared at his brother. He spoke after a tensely silent moment had passed. His gaze landed on her, but she continued to stare at Mokuba. This might be the last time she sees him after all.

"You know that the cops are after you," he stated. It wasn't a question, but she nodded nonetheless. "You realise that your little street gang won't take the fall for you." She nodded numbly. "You know that you'll be taken to jail." She gritted her teeth, but she didn't nod. A questioning look passed across his facial features. "What did you do?" he asked suspiciously, ideas already forming in his mind.

"I'm not going to jail," she said softly as if someone other than him would hear. One of his eyebrows raised as if to question her. She continued looking at Mokuba and reached out to stroke his face. Seto could see that she was struggling with her decision, and he withheld the rude comments that came to his mind to allow her to finish. "I'm moving out of Japan in the morning. I have a boat waiting at the dock."

"That's a bit extreme for a simple bank robbery isn't it?" he asked gruffly.

Meara caressed Mokuba's face again. Her loving touch brought some color to his cheeks as he slept blissfully unaware. She didn't want anyone to know what she did. Even her ride out of the country wasn't aware of just how bad her situation was. _But he deserves to know,_ Meara mused sullenly. _Someone close to me at least deserves to know what brought about my downfall._ With tight lips and a frown, she said, "I killed them. My gang is now long deceased, and they can no longer betray me." Before Seto could comment, she continued, "They ratted me out to the police so they could get away with less jail time. Men who I thought would die for me without even being told to do so… I can't believe I was so foolish to believe in the loyalties of criminals."

"You're quite the hypocrite," Seto said gruffly. "One can only ever count on themselves. I thought you knew that."

"I know," she said with resignation. "That's why I'm here tonight, risking everything."

Seto pondered her words before his eyes widened in realization. "You came tonight to say goodbye. You don't plan to come back, do you?" That would explain not only Meara's obnoxious clothing but also why she would risk going through a security infested hospital after such an illegal act. He knew it was bad, but he never thought that it would be like this. Meara was anything but stupid. He wondered why she allowed it to get this far, but he withheld from speaking his thoughts. Ever since her first appearance to him, he'd gotten rather good at holding his tongue. They would often argue and Mokuba disliked it. Needless to say, Seto stopped antagonizing her soon after realising Mokuba's feelings about it.

"And that's why I can't stay by his side." Her usually strong and firm voice sounded broken and torn as she spoke and it brought him out of his own thoughts. "I don't think he'll ever forgive me if he found out about what I've done nor about what I'm about to do." Seto stayed quiet as she drew her hand away from Mokuba's grasp. He whimpered unconsciously at the loss of contact, and she took a regretful couple steps back.

"Where will you go? The government will put out a huge bounty for your capture."

"Eygpt," she replied swiftly. She told Seto enough already to trust him with the information of her new home. "I have connections over there, so I'll be able to hide from anyone who tries to find me." Her blue eyes finally met his. Sirens were beginning to flash from outside, and she knew that her time here was short. "Please don't tell him where I've gone or what I've done," she said quietly. "I couldn't bear the thought of him seeing me as a monster." She pleaded silently with her eyes, and he nodded firmly after a moment. "Thank you." She turned to open the door, but Seto's voice stopped her.

"They'll catch you before you can escape," he said. The shuffling of fabric filled the room briefly before he spoke again. "Take this. They won't bother you with them on." She turned towards him to find that he was holding out his white trench coat and a stylish dark gray hat. _Of course,_ she thought. _Seto is anything but unprepared._ She took them and slipped them on. The coat fit her surprisingly well, and his lingering body heat would keep her warm on her way to the docks; the winter night was cold and dark after all. The hat would hide her short blonde hair from view. She wondered briefly if he had also been keeping tabs on her like she had been to them but quickly brushed the thought aside. There was no time for such trivial thoughts for the police were gaining on her position quickly.

She took long strides towards Mokuba and placed a loving kiss on his temple. "I love you, Mokie," she whispered sweetly. She hesitated but pulled herself from his side. Opening the room to the door, she made sure the coat's collar was up so her face could remain mostly hidden as she stepped out into the bustling hallway.

"Oh, and Meara," Seto called again. She turned and sent him a questioning look. "Don't forget to check the front pocket." She nodded swiftly before darting from the room. She walked with long confident strides as he would do, and she made it out of the building and past the police safely. She slid onto the motorcycle that she was borrowing from a friend and sped off towards the docks. It wouldn't be long before the police were hot on her trail again.

A couple hours and close calls later, Meara found herself standing at the bow of Marik's ship. The morning wind was crisp, and the seasplash barely came up above the hull with the knot they were cruising at. The sun was just kissing the horizon, and the Japanese coastline had long since disappeared. Seto's coat was still surprisingly warm because of the insulating liner in it, and she was grateful for it. The hat had been placed below deck with the rest of her few belongings.

She kept her thoughts distant from what lay behind her. She couldn't risk giving herself the idea that she could return because she couldn't. Only the threat of execution was behind her. _And the two people that I've grown to love,_ she thought bitterly. It was then that she remembered that she was supposed to check the coat's pocket. She looked down at the coat as she patted each pocket. There was a lump in the right front one, and she opened it. She turned and walked slowly back towards the helm of the ship where Marik was steering.

In the coat pocket was a disc and an attached note. She read over the contents of the letter and couldn't help the huge grin that came upon her face. "Something good in that letter?" Marik asked. Melvin sauntered onto the deck then and came to stand beside his boyfriend.

"Did that rich boy of yours send you a nude or something?" Melvin asked crudely with a smirk.

She smiled despite their words and shook her head. "No, he gave me a second chance."

 _Meara,_

 _Loaded on this disc is a new identity for you. You can have any name, appearance, background, etc. that you desire by filling out the forms loaded on it. Should you ever return to Domino, know that you will always have a place here at Kaiba Corp. My personal cell number is on the back of this paper if you need anything. Call if only for Mokuba's sake, and take care of my coat. I'm expecting it back completely intact._

 _Seto Kaiba_

* * *

 **So I have revised this 1-shot! Thank you Rain-Love-Poetry on Wattpad for some great insight as to how to make my story better~! I basically added the backstory of how Mokuba and Meara met and I hope I clarified what Seto and Meara's relationship is a little bit better. :) And now for the celebratory gun fire to celebrate this finally coming out! -fires off a barrage of celebratory cannon fire- WHOO~! As always please** **REVIEW~!**


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